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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 03/20/2000CITY COUNCIL 20 MARCH 2000 The South Burlington City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, 20 March 2000, at 7:30 p.m., in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset St. Members present: Jim Condos, Chair; Terry Sheahan, Joan Britt, Chris Smith, David Austin Also present: Charles Hafter, City Manager; Peter Bestenbostel, Asst. City Manager; Charlie Nardozzi, John Hannah, David Scott, Sam Lewis, Robin Lynch, Kathleen O'Keefe, Erwin Waibel, Tricia Dewey, Frank & Mary Mazur, George & Judy Bowers, Judy Brook, Margaret Briand, Carol Cincotta, Kevin Plette, Kate Purcell, Bill Eckhardt, Lou Bresee, John & Marlene Stephens, Sonny Audette, Richard Watts, Paul Bruh, Anna Johnston, Jane Sorensen, Tim Barritt, Karen Sinclair, Deborah Linahan 1. Comments & questions from the public not related to agenda items: Mr. Barritt thanked the Council for the decision to make Farrell St. one-way. He said residents are quite pleased and there has been a marked decrease in traffic through the neighborhood. 2. Announcements & City Manager's report: Mr. Sheahan: There will be a Regional Planning Commission meeting, 27 March, 7:30 p.m. Mr. Condos: The City's Annual Report is out. Mr. Hafter reported on the following: a. Fire Captain Fred Bessette died yesterday. The funeral will be on Wednesday and will include an honor guard of firefighters. b. Phase III of the Rec Path has received funding and right-of-way clearances. It is expected to be out to bid on 10 April with construction in mid- May. Completion is expected on 1 November. c. number of residents have praised the work of the Public Works Dept. for the great condition of city streets this winter. d. Craig Lambert of the City's Parks Department has been accepted for membership in the Vermont Association of Professional Horticulturists. e. The Commuter Rail Steering Committee will meet on 27 March. f. The public hearing on the 2000-2001 city and school budget will be on 6 April. 3. Update from National Gardening Association on progress of Vermont Botanical Gardens: Mr. Nardozzi reviewed the history of National Gardening in South Burlington. He noted that at the recent Vermont Flower Show, they kicked off a membership drive and already have 175 members. They also received a planning grant from the State. This year, they will be renovating the second floor of the Calkins House and will try to do some kind of gardens during the summer. They will also put up some signage. A workshop series is also planned. Ms. Sorenson then showed a "not final" master plan for the site which will include an amphitheater, children's garden, secret garden, herb gardens, butterfly gardens, and "conservation through gardens" area. She also showed the parking areas and the existing bike path. 4. Presentation of request from VTrans for location of a temporary commuter rail station at Bartlett Bay Road: Mr. Scott said VTrans would like to get a station in place this summer. He noted that the city would like the site to be at the Southland development. The state does not disagree with that but feels the Bartlett Bay Rd. site would be better in the short run while the state evaluates the Southland site to see if it is a long-term option. The state would be agreeable to a 2-year lease with a one-year renewal option. Mr. Sheahan asked about the time line for the scoping study for the Southland area. Mr. Hannah said that would depend on the public participation effort and the amount of coordination with regulatory agencies. He felt it could begin in 2-3 months. Mr. Hannah said they would look at site restraints, wetlands issues, etc. They would then cost out a conceptual site plan. Ms. Britt asked what would be a figure that might make the site feasible. Mr. Scott said about $500,000 which is what was spent on other locations. Mr. Condos noted that $2,000,000 was spent in downtown Burlington. Ms. Britt asked why a "short-run" station is needed instead of putting the money into a permanent station. Mr. Scott said it could help mitigate traffic for an approved project. Mr. Condos said he felt the city should do everything possible to make the project successful as it could be beneficial to everyone. He was pleased to see the Agency has put together a study proposal for the Southland site. Mr. Austin asked when it is expected that trains will start to run. Mr. Scott said the earliest would be this fall. Other stations are under construction. Mr. Hafter noted that the DRB will review any plans for a station. He asked how many trips a day are anticipated for people driving to the station to take the train. Mr. Scott said 20 in and out. There will be 20 parking spaces provided. Mr. Hafter asked about drop-off traffic. Mr. Scott didn't expect much. Mr. Hafter asked about security. Mr. Scott said there would be lighting. He noted that the site is close to the Magic Hat Brewery that has employees coming and going all day. The first train of the day would be at 6:45 a.m. and the last at 7 p.m. Mr. Hafter asked if the train would blow its whistle when it leaves the station. Mr. Scott said there would be a short blast. Mr. Hafter explained that the city has been in the Supreme Court in action against the state because the state says it does not have to live up to its agreements with communities. He noted that the state representative in that hearing refused to say that the state was bound to adhere to contracts it signs. He said the city wants assurance that an agreement is enforceable by the city. Mr. Scott noted that there had been thought of a bond for removal of a temporary station, but the state cannot buy bonds. Ms. Mazur asked how many cars there would be on a train. Mr. Scott said an engine plus 2 cars. Ms. Mazur noted the distance from the station is short and will trap cars from leaving the neighborhood. That is the only road into the neighborhood and she was concerned about emergency access. Mr. Scott said the platform site can be looked at to be sure the train will clear the intersection. Ms. Purcell asked the cost of a temporary station. Mr. Scott estimated $100,000. Ms. Purcell said she was concerned with the amount spent on this and also the guarantee that it would be temporary. Mr. Scott said they would look into an iron-clad agreement. Ms. Bowers referred to a letter from Brian Searles in which he estimated that it would take several years to permit and build a station. She also felt that 20 parking spaces would hardly mitigate Shelburne Rd. traffic. She was also concerned that the state is spending so much money to reduce alcohol/traffic problems and is now thinking about siting a train station next to a brewery. Ms. Briand expressed concern that there is a school bus stop at Brigham Rd/Bartlett Bay Rd. and children will be standing around there when trains are going in and out. She was also concerned that if the parking lot is full, people will park on the road. Ms. Lynch said that two years ago residents said they didn't want a station here. She asked what has been done to look at the Southland site. Mr. Scott said nothing has been done. The effort has been focused on the other stations. Ms. O'Keefe asked how the city could be comfortable agreeing to a temporary station at Bartlett Bay Rd. when the state's agenda has always been to make that a permanent station and has done nothing to look at the Southland site. Mr. Mazur enumerated some things for the Council to consider: The editorial writer for Seven Days felt the Governor is backing off the commuter rail project; there is no 13-C agreement to run the train; there is no insurance plan; the Windmill Bay crossing is not resolved. Mr. Mazur said any one of those is a "show stopper." Mr. Austin said his inclination is to ask the State to do the Southland study, provide a report, and let the City know the likelihood of that station happening. Mr. Waibel expressed concern that so many people use that area for walking and jogging. Mr. Bowers felt a study for a permanent station shouldn't be tied to the temporary station. Residents don't want a temporary station. He also felt the State has no credibility. A station at Bartlett Bay doesn't make sense because there are no shopping or other services there. Ms. Sinclair felt it made more sense to do the Southland study and forego a temporary station. She was also appalled at having a station near a brewery. Mr. Hafter noted that 5 years ago the AOT signed an agreement with the towns giving total control to the towns. He stressed that the AOT has never tried to veer from those agreements. That is why there is no train today. He felt if the AOT (now VTrans) says it will do a study, they would do it. Members agreed they wanted to see a Southland study before making any decisions. 5. Presentation of recommendations for regional public transit expansion strategy: Mr. Plumeau distributed a draft of recommendations. He noted that this effort was aimed at coming up with a plan to expand public transit. The study was done with Chuck Mudd, a national transportation consultant. Mr. Plumeau said county and state growth, economic vitality and quality of life are directly tied to residents' mobility and accessibility. The MPO has set a goal to increase the use of public transportation from .6% to 6%. Mr. Plumeau stressed that this cannot happen unless some institutional funding problems are overcome. Today's transit system is based on an old commuting pattern. There is a lot of community to community travel, off-hours travel, etc. This gives people a reason to say "public transit doesn't meet my needs." The concept that is being recommended includes express buses, cross-county connectors, trunk lines, connectors to express and trunk lines, and demand-responsive services. Implementing that system could increase ridership 40%. This would cost a lot more than today's system, so new funding options must be looked at. Two of these are increasing state operating support and authorizing additional local funding sources (gas tax, sales tax, etc.). Mr. Plumeau felt the long-term solution was a combination of both. Mr. Mudd said he had tried to address policy issues and come up with a specific action program. He recommended the following: a Board of Commissioners of CCTA that would include state and local board members (5 local, 3 state appointed) and a representative from the MPO. He stressed that coordination of services is vital so it looks like a seamless system (this would include buses that all look the same, etc.). There needs to be a statewide mechanism for funding. The property tax is a very limited way to fund public transportation. It is recommended that the 5 supporting communities cap the amount they put in and make a concerted effort to get other communities into the system. Increases beyond that need to come from the state level. Mr. Plumeau said that on Wednesday they are going before the Senate Transportation Committee to provide information on the study. He noted that a few months ago both the Senate and House were hungry for information on transit in the state, so there may be some immediate benefits. Mr. Smith asked how success or failure would be measured. Mr. Plumeau said that is in the eye of the beholder. You could use industry standards but there are a number of studies showing the long-term payback of transit. Ms. Linehan said the current system does what it is designed to do; it serves those who have no alternatives. It also meets all national standards. What is being talked about is changing the rules of engagement. She stressed that it will not succeed until it attracts those who have choices. Mr. Mazur stressed that there needs to be a standard developed for communities this size. There will be millions of federal dollars going into transit, and the area needs to tap into those resources. Mr. Condos said he can envision a county transportation system including CCTA, Airport, University, cabs, etc. Mr. Hafter asked if CCTA concurs with the recommendations. Ms. Linehan said there is skepticism that 3 secretaries of state agencies would make a time commitment to serve on a board. There is also concern with a "port authority" proposal right away. 6. Consider request from CVOEO Fair Housing Project for letter of support: Mr. Hafter said he has learned that the application only has to come from one community. He also found out that the additional $200,000 in costs was an error. CVOEO is now asking for a letter of support of the project as a gesture to help them get the grant. Mr. Sheahan expressed concern that this would be advocating a particular position and he was not sure the Council should do this. Other members agreed. 7. Consideration of approval of annual meeting warning for May ballot: Mr. Condos noted that he will be on Channel 17 on May 9th. This may be changed to May 2nd to allow more time. There will also be letters to the Other Paper explaining the ballot items. Mr. Austin moved to approve the Warning as presented. Mr. Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 8. Review Development Review Board Agenda for 21 March 2000: No issues were raised. 9. Review minutes of 2 March and 6 March 2000: Mr. Sheahan moved to approve the minutes of 2 March as presented. Mr. Austin seconded. Motion passed with Mr. Smith abstaining. Mr. Austin moved to approve the minutes of 6 March as presented. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed with Mr. Smith abstaining. 10. Sign disbursement orders: Disbursement orders were signed. 11. Liquor Control Board: Mr. Austin moved the Council adjourn and reconvene as Liquor Control Board. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Mr. Hafter presented liquor license renewals from the following: Airport Grocery Airport Mobil Hawthorne Suites Hotel Holiday Inn Kinney Drugs, Inc, #55 Zachary's Pizza House Parkway Diner Pour House Silver Palace Spillane's Service Centers U-save Beverage Mr. Hafter said all applications were in order. Mr. Austin moved to approve the liquor license renewals as presented. Mr. Sheahan seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Executive Session: Mr. Sheahan moved the Board adjourn and reconvene as City Council in Executive Session to discuss litigation and personnel issues and to resume regular session only to adjourn. Mr. Austin seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session: The Council reconvened in regular session. Mr. Austin moved adjournment. Mr. Sheahan seconded. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 11 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.